147. I never wanted to be King
147. I never wanted to be King
ALAESTER
“Your punishment must reflect the weight of your crimes, but also the pain you caused.”
I take a deep breath, my chest so tight it feels like I might collapse. I look at Alice, and she nods, her brown eyes shining with a strength that anchors me. I look at Aemon, and he swallows hard, his face pale, but he nods too. This is it. No turning back. “Elora of Pamyel,” I say, my voice louder now, even though each word feels like tearing a piece of myself away. “For your crimes, you are banished from Pamyel. You will never set foot on these lands again. You’ll be taken to the border and marked with the seal of exile. If you try to return, you will be executed.”
The crowd erupts, murmurs turning into shouts, some cheering, others in shock. Elora lowers her head, just for a moment, before meeting my gaze again. “You’ll regret this, my son,” she says, her voice still laced with venom. “One day, you’ll understand what it means to sacrifice everything for a kingdom.”
“Don’t call me son,” I snap, rage finally swallowing the pain, hot and bitter in my throat. Alice steps back, and Aemon pulls her into a hug, ready to comfort her. I’m more experienced at controlling my emotions, but they spill over through my mate. “You lost that right the moment you chose power over us.” I look around. “In light of all the charges against you, Elora Redwood, how do you plead?”
Elora lifts her chin, her gaze fierce, though the edges of her eyes are red with unshed tears. For a second, the silence is absolute. Not even the wind dares to pass between us. “Guilty,” she says, each syllable poisoned, spat out like they burn her tongue. My chest aches. “Guilty of loving this kingdom more than anything else. Even more than you.”
My stomach churns, a metallic taste rising in my throat. The crowd starts reacting again, a buzz growing like distant thunder. But all I hear is the sound of my own heart pounding too hard. “Then I have no choice but to sentence you to exile. No Pack will shelter you, and no resources from this kingdom will aid you. You’ll be treated as a Renegade and are now on your own. I want the seal branded in front of the council. Let there be no doubt.”
The voices of the Lycans in the hall grow louder, and then I feel the sharp agony of the Pack bond breaking with her. All the memories choke me, and all I want is to scream. But I can’t.
“Guards,” I say, my voice faltering for just a moment. My shoulders and knees threaten to give out, but I straighten up. “Please, take Elora to the border and remove her chains only when you get there.”
Two warriors approach, hesitant, almost reverent. But my mother raises a hand. “I walk alone. I don’t need your pity or the humiliation of being dragged like a common prisoner.” She locks eyes with me for a moment before spitting her final curse. “And when this kingdom crumbles under your weak hands and soft heart… I’ll be watching. From somewhere, I’ll see you drown.”
She turns, her dirt-stained robes dragging across the stone floor of the square. The Renegade’s mark begins to burn into her skin as she crosses the ancestral circle etched in the center of the village, a reddish glow searing into her flesh with the symbol of the severed serpent. An eternal exile.
The guards move forward, gripping her arms. She doesn’t resist, but keeps her chin high, her queenly posture intact even in defeat. The hall’s door slams shut with a thud, and the sound echoes in my chest like a tomb sealing closed.
I stand there watching as the crowd disperses, my heart racing, the void inside it growing too fast, swallowing everything.
Alice wraps her arms around me, burying her face in my chest, her tears soaking my shirt. Aemon places a hand on my shoulder, his grip firm but trembling, as if he’s holding on by a thread too.
I shake under his touch. “You did what had to be done,” Alice says. “This will change everything.”
“I know it was the right thing,” I say, forcing a weak smile, but my voice cracks, and I feel a sob caught in my throat. “But, damn, this hurts like hell.”
Aemon sighs, his eyes glistening with tears he won’t let fall. “She was our mother, even if it was a lie. You can’t erase that. But… she chose this path. Not us. Now it’s our turn, Alaester. To rebuild. Our way.”
I look around. The square is still full of people, their gazes uncertain—some hopeful, others filled with fear. But all of them looking at me.
Alice is still pressed against my chest, but I feel her force herself to pull back, wiping her face with the back of her hand. “You’re going to need to rest a bit,” she whispers. “This whole thing… it’s just getting started, Alaester.”
“I can’t stop now,” I shoot back, glancing toward the council hall. “If I crumble now, they’ll smell the fear. And I’m not just a prince trying to prove himself anymore. I’m the Alpha King.”
Aemon clears his throat, crossing his arms with a more serious expression than I expected. “The people will need to hear your voice on the new laws today. Still today. The council will need to see strength. They’re already moving. Some still think she should be forgiven. Others want blood.”
I nod slowly and turn, climbing the steps to the ancestral altar of the Redwood lineage. She destroyed everything this symbol stood for… but maybe I can rebuild it. “Elora’s era is over. And with it, everything that stood for control, manipulation, and sacrifice in the name of a throne.” I take a deep breath, feeling every cell in my body scream. “From this day forward, every pact with traitorous families will be reviewed. The blood of the innocent will no longer be political currency.”
I never wanted to be king.
But now… I don’t have a choice. And maybe… maybe it’s time to turn the curse of our name into something worthy.